Improvement in uterine supporters



G. BENNETT & F. E. PARSONS..

Uterine-Supporters.

N0 158,8Q1- Patentedlan. 19,1875.

ATTEST: INVENTDR:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE BENNETT'AND FOSTER E. PARSONS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN UTERINE SUPPORTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 158,891, dated January 19, 1875; application filed December 23, 1874.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, GEORGE BENNETT and FOSTER E. PARSONS, both of St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Uterine Supporters, of which the following is a specification:

Our invention relates to a uterine supporter which is sustained by its hold against the sides of the vagina, and consequently is not connected to any exterior support. It consists in combining, with a flexible ring of steel or other metal hermetieally enveloped in the overturned margin of the cup of soft rubber formingthe basket for the reception of the neck of the uterus, a pouch of soft thin rubber attached by its upper edge to the outer circumference of the covered ring. The supportingcup andthe pouch have apertures, as hereinafter described, for the escape of uterine eX- cretions, the aperture in the cup being central, and that in the pouch being preferably at the posterior and lower corner of the pouch.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective View with part of the pouch removed to exhibit part of the supportingcup. Fig, 2 is an axial section on a line passing from front to back.

a is av circular ring of spring metal, closely and hermetically enveloped in the overturned margin b of the soft-rubber supporting-cup c. This cup has at its lower part an aperture, d, for the escape of uterine excretions. c is a loose pouch or sack whose top is tightly cemented to the outer circumference of the covered ring a b, and hanging loosely from the cup c. `The posterior part of this pouch is preferably made the longer, as shown, and perforated at j', for the escape of excretions. The pouch is preferably made of very thin rubber.

In our preferred form, as shown in the drawings, the apertures d and f are outv of line with each other, so that while the uterine eXcretions are not impeded, no foreign substance used in surgical treatment of the vagina can enter the uterus.

We do not conne ourselves to the use of metal in the construction of the ring a, as any substance having the required exibility would answer in its stead but have described our preferred Inode of forming the ring.

We are aware that the supporter in its more simple form is not our invention, therefore we disclaim entirely the mere combination of the ring a and elastic cup c; but

What we do claim is A, The uterine supporter having elastic ring a, cup c with aperture d, and sack or pouch c with aperture f, all combined and constructed substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

GEO. BENNETT, M. D. FOSTER E. PARSONS, M. D. Witnesses: SAME. KNIGHT,

ROBERT BURNS. 

